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Steven Coulson
Steven has been drinking beers, wines and spirits for decades and has a propensity to go about them at length after a few drinks.
Latest Posts
- Dissecting The Beer Menu – An Irish Pub & Layered Brews
- Has anyone else noticed that every “limited release” somehow stays on shelves for months?
- Dissecting The Beer Menu – An Irish Pub & Layered Brews
- Headed to Asheville – looking for top breweries to get German style in cans / bottles
- Does anyone else feel guilty drinking beer alone because it’s supposed to be a social experience?
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The Illusion of Limited Release Beers: A Closer Look
In recent years, craft beer enthusiasts have become all too familiar with the term “limited release.” As I strolled through my local bottle shop yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice a certain “extremely limited” barrel-aged stout lingering on the shelves since October. The shelf talker proudly declared that only 500 cases were produced, yet it’s glaringly evident that this so-called rarity is anything but.
The $25 price tag for what tastes like every other bourbon barrel stout certainly raises questions about its marketability. Remember when beers like KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) and BCBS (Bourbon County Brand Stout) sparked frenzied anticipation among supporters, with enthusiasts often camping out overnight just to snag a few bottles? Fast forward to today, and I can casually waltz into a respectable shop and pick up vintage 2020 BCBS as if it were a regular six-pack of High Life.
The reality is that many breweries now flood the market with a deluge of so-called “limited” offerings, resulting in shelves filled with beers that often surpass their peak freshness long before anyone considers purchasing them. This raises an important issue: the marketing strategy centered around artificial scarcity is not just perplexing; it’s becoming increasingly embarrassing.
As a consumer, I find myself weary of shelling out premium prices for so-called “limited edition” beers that can be found more readily than a local favorite. It’s time for breweries to either deliver on that rarity promise or forego the pretense that their contract-brewed, barrel-aged concoction is an elusive treasure. Craft beer enthusiasts deserve authenticity, not an overcrowded shelf of products pretending to be scarce.
Let’s have a real dialogue about quality and exclusivity in the craft beer world, rather than perpetuating the notion of faux scarcity. After all, the true charm of craft brewing lies in its originality and distinction, not in artificial marketing gimmicks.